I have had them say just what you say they should say...CT Daylilies and Valley of the Daylilies. What I had ordered was not large enough...so they offered wither the price reduction or aorder another na dthey both sent an extra plant whe I chose to take the one I ordered. One thrived, one died.

kay

Funny you should mention vendors today. Last week I ordered from a vendor I had never used before. Because of the holiday the plants were shipped on Tuesday. They should have been here yesterday (Thursday) and when they didn't arrive today (Friday) I went in search of an answer - and got one. According to the tracking history provided by the USPS, my plants are in Puerto Rico.

I am hoping the vendor will file a claim with the USPS and get their money back, and send me fresh plants. Stay tuned for further details as they emerge.

I started selling on the Lily Auction last season. The first shipment got lost in the mail. I was getting ready to file a claim when the package arrived. It had taken two weeks and it was supposed to take 2 days. By this time, I had already reshipped what I could and refunded the money for what I couldn't reship. I lost money on that deal, but that's the postal service for you. When our kids were small, their grandmother would mail each one of them a Valentine's Day card. Not once did the three cards arrive on the same day. Two would arrive on one day and the third the next day. I always kept the two cards until the third arrived before I gave them to them.

Nancy

Dave: What a mess. Of all the places to send it, Puerto Rico is a bad one. I don't think they've recovered from their Hurricane damage yet. Fingers crossed for you............Kay: Good for those two companies. I'm more understanding when the vendor is up north and can't even see into their fields because of the snow. But when they go to ship them surely they or their help should note the size and make adjustments.........I agree Avedon. If they are good vendors they need to get the recognition they deserve........I guess what annoyed me is that the two plants that were sprouts were both ordered from their own hybridizers. One has since died and the other is barely clinging to life with 3 grass like leaves left. Live and learn.............Maryl

I ordered from MthRNatur for the first time this season, got nice plants in a timely manner! I also ordered again from Oak Hill daylilies in Illinois. Got beautiful plants again on Wednesday. We exchanged a few emails on Friday. I was told she had orders she mailed the same day as mine that were still in limbo, got sent to the wrong state etc.

Sherry: Bonnie at Oak Hill always sends nice plants. I know a couple of years ago she even posted on her website that she had inadvertently gotten a rusty plant from another vendor but thought she would be rust free after winter. I was VERY impressed with her honesty and didn't hesitate ordering from her after that (and NO rust has ever come from her)..............Nancy: Every time I send a check to a vendor I ask them to e-mail me that they have received it. I know how the mail can be, and like you, feel a responsibility to make sure that they are paid as contracted. I certainly would appreciate what you did in your case..........Maryl

I ordered from a new (to me ) vendor out of Quebec . These people have been so very very accomodating . I wrote to inquire about when they would ship as we are well into summer weather here but where they are plants are only now really growing . Anyway , the vendor contacted me to say one of the dayliles I ordered was not up to the standards of what they like to ship , apologized and said because of this they didnt feel ok about shipping it .Then they offered me a more expensive daylily ( and a gorgeous one ) if I would be willing to accept it instead of the one I ordered , or I could choose another of my liking , or be refunded the money. That's what I call a great seller. I accepted the substitute plant and we are both happy. I will definitely be buying from this seller again .

On the other side of the coin I have in the past (some years ago ) ordered from a seller ( no longer in business ) who mailed my daylilies immediately after a postal strike ( so they sat in the post office for 3 weeks due to the backlog from the strike ) They arrived looking severely pathetic and 2 were just no good ( moldy and stinky ) . I wrote to the seller , sent pictures and asked for a refund for only one of the plants , the one that I had ordered (the other had been a gift plant) a total of $11. Not only did I not get a refund but of the plants that managed to survive the shipping 3 were not the plants that I had ordered . When I contacted him about this he got snarly and informed me his kids helped him and "I guess I should have kept a closer eye on them " . I was livid , so I left a scathing report at Dave's Garden about the situation . The next spring he contacted me and told me to pick some plants from his new website to replace the 4 (3 not right ones and 1 moldy one ) So like an idiot I did ....never heard from him again . Oh I should mention I didnt get the plants he offered as replacements.

You know the old saying fool me once shame on you , fool me twice shame on me ......I was and still am so very very p.........ed about it . However if he did this to me , I am sure he probably did it other times to other people .......do you wonder why he is no longer in business?

Avedon - I received a great plant this week from MthrNatur, and would definitely buy more of Randy's plants on Lily Auction.

Another new online vendor I tried was Nature's Melody in Missouri. The prices are on the high side, but they send extremely healthy plants, and in my case extra fans on each purchase.

Maryl - Sorry about your experience.

Debra

I also got one from MthrNatur that was an excelelnt plant and it arrived very quickly plus I was told it had shipped so looked out for it instead of it baking in the mailbox. He should be around for quite a while.

kay

MthrNatur is very honest in the description of his plants - not as big as ... - I will feel very comfortable ordering his plants.

Paul at Slightly Different and Bonnie at Oak Hill both have outstanding plants!

Btw, Oak Hill daylilies is far enough north that rust isn’t a problem in the gardens.

Just a qualifying note. The plants I got from Nature's Melody last fall were awful. Little increase fans that were dried up to boot. Perhaps in the spring, they actually divide their plants and send mature roots.

I don't know what is going on with USPS, but the errors this spring have been worse than ever.

Sherry: Rust could be a problem if you receive an order in the fall from a vendor who bought and grew a new rusty plant from another vendor. That's what happened to Bonnie at Oak Hill. Another vendor who she thought was safe inadvertently sent her a rusty plant in late spring. Since I had rust that one time I'm very careful about buying plants in the fall or any time other then early spring. People like myself appreciate the warning Bonnie gave as soon as she knew she may have a problem later that year..............Maryl

Mantis - Sorry your experience with Nature's Melody was not as good as mine. I was surprised at how husky the fans were on both I ordered and also the bonus.

"Husky" is the very last word I would choose to describe what I got from Nature's Melody. But a lot of people in the fall send out little increase fans, which will take a lot of growth to maturity. They don't want to dig into a clump, so break off a few small new shoots. Another person I talked to said that he got the same thing.

I agree about the USPS, Mantis. It has not been good.

kay

I made an order this year to Parklane Daylilies in NY , not knowing what quality to expect. I am very happy with the large plants and quick shipping. I will order again from Kathleen.